2013: The Web Browser as Synthesizer and Interface

Abstract

Our research examines the use and potential of native web technologies for musical expression. We introduce two JavaScript libraries towards this end: Gibberish.js, a heavily optimized audio DSP library, and Interface.js, a GUI toolkit that works with mouse, touch and motion events. Together these libraries provide a complete system for defining musical instruments that can be used in both desktop and mobile web browsers. Interface.js also enables control of remote synthesis applications via a server application that translates the socket protocol used by web interfaces into both MIDI and OSC messages.